Kirkcaldy weather in December

In December, Kirkcaldy sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 76 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 6.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kirkcaldy's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kirkcaldy's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
76 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 42 min
8:48 AM – 3:29 PM
Cloud cover
73%
4th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Kirkcaldy is town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, UK.

Density
2,798/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kirkcaldy reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1772
1872
1972
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Kirkcaldy

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Kirkcaldy weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 74142.47.30.6
Feb / 6111.82.59.10.8
Mar / 5912.51.711.41.5
Apr11° / 5411.60.713.82.5
May14° / 5612.60.1163.6
Jun16° / 10°6413.1017.24.5
Jul18° / 12°7113.6016.75.2
Aug18° / 12°7513.2014.95.2
Sep16° / 10°5911.1012.54.5
Oct12° / 8013010.13.1
Nov / 7113.60.57.91.6
Dec / 7613.41.96.80.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53169
63169
73169
83070
93070
103070
112971
122872
132872
142872
152872
162872
172872
182773
192773
202773
212773
222872
232773
242872
252872
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kirkcaldy gets around 76 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1475
2476
3466
4456
5456
6446
7436
8435
9425
10425
11425
12415
13414
14414
15415
16415
17425
18425
19435
20436
21436
22446
23447
24447
25447
26448
27448
28458
29459
30459
31459

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:30 AM to 8:54 AM, and sunset from 3:35 PM to 3:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.18:303:35
27.08:313:34
37.08:333:33
47.08:343:33
56.98:363:32
66.98:373:32
76.98:393:31
86.88:403:31
96.88:413:30
106.88:423:30
116.88:443:30
126.78:453:29
136.78:463:29
146.78:473:29
156.78:483:29
166.78:483:29
176.78:493:29
186.78:503:29
196.68:513:30
206.68:513:30
216.68:523:30
226.68:523:31
236.68:533:31
246.68:533:32
256.68:543:32
266.78:543:33
276.78:543:34
286.78:543:35
296.78:543:36
306.78:543:37
316.78:543:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.38 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.74 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.38 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.4Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kirkcaldy?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kirkcaldy.

What to pack for Kirkcaldy in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Kirkcaldy sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kirkcaldy in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Kirkcaldy in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kirkcaldy peaks around June 20 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kirkcaldy?

Kirkcaldy sits at 56.1°N, 3.2°W, 39 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Glenrothes, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Kirkcaldy

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kirkcaldy.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kirkcaldy has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 159 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,039 m.

The land around Kirkcaldy is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), water (28%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (47%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
159 m
16 km
453 m
80 km
1,039 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Glenrothes 9.0 km · Edinburgh 18 km · Dunfermline 19 km · Musselburgh 21 km · Bonnyrigg 27 km · Broxburn 28 km · Penicuik 32 km · Livingston 33 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kirkcaldy (56.1168°, -3.16°, elevation 39 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).